California High presents a balanced look at the intense controversy over the legalization of marijuana and its wide-ranging consequences. When California voters passed the first medical marijuana laws in 1996 it sparked a chain reaction that led to 18 other states enacting similar laws. Four states have since legalized marijuana for recreational use. With a statewide vote expected on legalization in November 2016, California is now considered the key battleground in the national marijuana debate. The results of the vote in the largest state in the nation will likely have far-reaching implications for America, and possibly the world. California High journeys from the indoor grow rooms of Los Angeles to the remote mountains of Humboldt to present the perspectives of people on all sides of the debate - medical marijuana dispensaries, addiction specialists, lawyers, doctors, leaders of major advocacy groups, government officials, and ordinary Californians. The film begins by exploring how California's medical marijuana laws have been interpreted and have worked, including the wide variety of marijuana products - from breath mints to bagel bites - now available in thousands of state dispensaries. It also explores the disputes over the medical value of marijuana and the anticipated impact legalization will have on usage, as well as looking back at the history of marijuana laws and usage in the United States. As the film shows, this is a debate with no easy answers and even some surprises -- many of the people against the legalization of marijuana are those now growing and selling medicinal pot.